2.38 billion pixel image of the area on Mars - Where life could exist 3.7 billion years ago

A 2.38 billion pixel NASA image shows a Martian landscape where life may have once flourished inside lakes .

Late last year, the Perseverance probe , which has been operating on Mars for nearly three years, spent three days photographing Jezero crater on the red planet with its Mastcam-Z camera. It has been proven that this crater was once home to a lake that could have harbored life about 3.7 billion years ago.

Comprised of 993 images and 2.38 billion pixels, NASA's Perseverance probe created a 360-degree picture of the "Airey Hill" site inside Jezero Crater , where it remained throughout the conjunction of Sun. Using Mastcam-Z, the rover captured images on November 3, November 4 and November 6, 2023, corresponding to sosol days 962, 963 and 965 in its mission.

Jezero Crater on Mars.

Jezero Crater is a former lake on Mars that may contain signs of ancient life. Scientists are using NASA's Perseverance probe to explore rocks and sediments in the crater and analyze their chemical and mineral composition.

The rover's instruments, such as PIXL and SHERLOC , can detect organic matter and other clues that may indicate past microbial activity. By combining different types of data, the rover can create detailed maps of the crater's plains and shorelines, where life may have flourished billions of years ago .

Perseverance's core mission on Mars is astrobiology research, focusing on identifying past microbial life. In addition to studying the geology and historical climate of Mars, the rover also pioneered the collection and storage of Martian rocks and regolith, paving the way for future human exploration.

Working with the European Space Agency (ESA), upcoming NASA missions will retrieve these sealed samples from Mars and return them to Earth for detailed analysis.